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Dining review: Savory Way Cafe brings a no-fuss brand of food to South Asheville

Matthew DeRobertis
Published 10:02 a.m. ET Aug. 1, 2018

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Savory Way Cafe serves up a no-fuss lunch in South Asheville.
Asheville Citizen Times

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The grilled chicken quesadilla at Savory Way Cafe is stuffed with cheddar and Monterey jack cheese. It is photographed here with a green salad. (Photo: Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com)Buy Photo

The Savory Way Café on Hendersonville Road used to run food operations under the name Savory Thyme Cafe at the North Carolina Arboretum. The Colorful Palate now runs food operations at the arboretum under the name Bent Creek Bistro.

Confused yet? All you need to know is the Savory Way Cafe is in South Asheville, offers plentiful seating, but no nature exhibits. It's also open for breakfast and lunch with dinner service coming in the future, and has catering services.

Dining in offers a casual atmosphere, with plenty of tables inside and on an adjoining patio.

The café is a pretty low-key affair: Order at the counter and skip the more formal approach of having a server.

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Savory Way Cafe on Hendersonville Road is open at 11am every day, ending lunch service at 4 Monday through Saturday and open again from 5pm-8pm for dinner Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays they have a special brunch selection. Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Savory Way Cafe on Hendersonville Road is open at 11am every day, ending lunch service at 4 Monday through Saturday and open again from 5pm-8pm for dinner Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays they have a special brunch selection. Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Savory Way Cafe on Hendersonville Road is open at 11am every day, ending lunch service at 4 Monday through Saturday and open again from 5pm-8pm for dinner Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays they have a special brunch selection. Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Savory Way Cafe on Hendersonville Road is open at 11am every day, ending lunch service at 4 Monday through Saturday and open again from 5pm-8pm for dinner Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays they have a special brunch selection. Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Savory Way Cafe on Hendersonville Road is open at 11am every day, ending lunch service at 4 Monday through Saturday and open again from 5pm-8pm for dinner Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays they have a special brunch selection. Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Savory Way Cafe on Hendersonville Road is open at 11am every day, ending lunch service at 4 Monday through Saturday and open again from 5pm-8pm for dinner Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays they have a special brunch selection. Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Savory Way Cafe on Hendersonville Road is open at 11am every day, ending lunch service at 4 Monday through Saturday and open again from 5pm-8pm for dinner Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays they have a special brunch selection. Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Savory Way Cafe on Hendersonville Road is open at 11am every day, ending lunch service at 4 Monday through Saturday and open again from 5pm-8pm for dinner Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays they have a special brunch selection. Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Savory Way Cafe on Hendersonville Road is open at 11am every day, ending lunch service at 4 Monday through Saturday and open again from 5pm-8pm for dinner Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays they have a special brunch selection. Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Savory Way Cafe on Hendersonville Road is open at 11am every day, ending lunch service at 4 Monday through Saturday and open again from 5pm-8pm for dinner Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays they have a special brunch selection. Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

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Lunch is a simple offering of sandwiches, wraps and salads. The menu isn’t out to win you over with unusual or obscure offerings, nor does it feature extensive artisanal products. Savory Way provides relatively healthy, simple and fresh options, including veggie fare, like the California wrap, hummus plate and even a vegetarian muffaletta.

The spiced eggplant wrap, another vegetarian option, included thick wedges of roasted eggplant with flavors of cumin shining through. Bulgar wheat salad, a spread of Greek yogurt and a squeeze of lemon added additional texture and Mediterranean flavor.

Most wraps and sandwiches come with choice of side, including the Moroccan carrot salad with a cumin vinaigrette and lemony tang, which mirrored the flavor of the eggplant. The large serving of shredded carrots was a little monotonous without any other ingredients.

The grilled chicken quesadilla folded layers of melted Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses in spinach tortillas. Black bean salsa mixed throughout the cheese and chicken once again presented cumin as one of the major flavors. Savory Way must buy cumin in bulk.

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Savory Way Cafe on Hendersonville Road is open at 11am every day, ending lunch service at 4 Monday through Saturday and open again from 5pm-8pm for dinner Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays they have a special brunch selection. (Photo: Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com)

On the side, a green salad was not fancy but was laced with fresh vegetables, including carrots and cucumbers. Homemade balsamic vinaigrette proved a highlight. It was perfectly in balance and expertly emulsified, a feat many restaurants fail to master.

In the summer, I find it difficult to pass up a good BLT. The same goes for a BLAT, which adds to the classic slices of avocado. From a choice of sourdough or wheat bread, I went with the former, which came untoasted and fairly standard. The bacon was crisp and the veggies fresh, but this BLAT is basically the kind you would make at home, and did not stand out as a restaurant dish.

We tried the macaroni salad, with creamy mayo- and mustard-based dressing creating a side reminiscent of long-ago family picnics or summer lunches at grandmother's house.

Beverages are few, but you’ll find sodas, iced tea and coffee. If you are remotely into lemonade, the house-made strawberry lemonade, made with fresh strawberries, is worth an order. It’s refreshing, a little tart and not overly sweet, the polar opposite of a nauseatingly sweet Snapple rip-off that makes you run for a glass of water.

Savory Way's food is priced under $10, including sides, which not an easy thing to find in the Asheville area without giving in to a fast-food lunch.

The food may be simple, but it’s fresh, fairly quick and provides an option to the plentiful row of chain establishments on Hendersonville Road.

Matthew DeRobertis is a chef, writer and father to a kid that loves food more than her dog. Contact him at matt@chefdero.com.

Dish to try: The spiced eggplant wrap offers texture, flavor and something different then the norm.

Beverage notes: Tea, soda, coffee.

Prices: $2.50-9.99

Service: Friendly.

Health Department score: 97.

The bottom line: The Savory Way Café is a no-fuss restaurant. Find lunch basics with a few creative finds and vegetarian offerings mixed in. For South Asheville residents and workers, the café offers a healthy and fairly quick alternative.